Sunday, January 13, 2013

Heat Wave Continues

The record breaking January heat wave is continuing. We’ve had record high temps for this time of year, and we can thank a high pressure ridge that’s keeping the cold fronts away.

Some people are complaining that it’s a bit too warm for January, and it is, but the humidity is low, so it doesn’t feel like a summer day. It’s actually been quite nice, especially with the very cool evening temperatures. Dare I hope for warm weather for the upcoming Tampa Rv Show? It’s usually cold!

Al started feeling better after his first dose of Aloe Vera, but he wasn’t 100%, so we didn’t go to the gym or to the beach. We had a “fun” day returning purchases we bought and changed our minds about. Not a fun day for sure.

We came back home and I was “sent to my room” so Al could watch the football playoffs. I ended up watching the movie The Social Network again. I really enjoyed it the first time I watched it and planned on seeing it again some day. It was about the creation of Facebook. What an interesting story it was. I started reading the book on my Sony e-Reader, but it came from the library and it expired before I finished it. I may try to check it out again and read it while we’re on the prairie. I’m sure the book would be even better than the movie. It was amazing how a young kid could have become a billionaire at such a young age.

While watching the movie, I noticed my contact lens was bothering my eye, so I removed it, but my eye kept getting more irritated instead of better. I was pretty uncomfortable, but it seemed to feel better when I stood up, and worse when I laid back down. I had visions of waking up to a bad eye infection this morning. I finally decided to take half of a Benadryl and prop myself up on the pillows. That apparently worked and I slept through the night, (or at least until Baxter started his his middle of the night shenanigans). I’m not sure I’ll be able to wear a contact today, but I’m going to try using a fresh one. Fortunately the eye feels much better this morning.

A few weeks ago, I decided I needed some sort of a produce stand. I had been using a pretty metal colander but it was always running over and the fruits and veggies were just stacked on top of each other. Often, I would find a surprise at the bottom of the bowl.

I checked online and found some nice produce stands on Amazon, but I ended up finding this nice three tier produce rack at Target.

It’s bigger than it might look in the photo. Notice the large pomegranate, mango and grapefruit on the middle shelf.

Our kitchen sink sits at an angle, so I have a big space behind the sink, and it fits perfectly. It’s about 18 inches tall and barely fits under the bottom of the top cabinet. It works pretty well to keep produce separate and I think it looks pretty as well. Now that we’re eating vegan, we have a lot more produce and there is not enough room in the refrigerator, so this was a good choice.

I also bought a fold up bamboo dish drain. I discovered them on Amazon, but I wasn’t sure I would like this type of dish drain and wanted to be able to easily return it if I didn’t like it. I wasn’t sure how dishes would actually fit on this contraption.

The silverware bin was separate and is necessary. I ended up finding them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. $19.99 for the rack and $6.99 for the silverware bin.

As it turns out, I like it real well. It folds up for storage, which is the main reason I bought it. Normally the dish rack sits on counter, but when I want to take it down, it can be hidden away from sight.

I was wondering how dishes would stack and it turns out they do just fine. I think it probably holds as many dishes as the regular kind of dish drain.

I think the folding dish rack is perfect for an Rv kitchen.

Baxter was in the posing mode yesterday, so here is a fluffy kitty picture. Notice the size of those feet? Notice those big poofs of fur behind his front legs?

We're enjoying the Florida warmth as well. We lived the last six years in Arizona so even the lower humidity right now is quite n adjustment for us.

Man that produce stand is huge! We don't have the counter space for any produce stand really. I'm thinking about mounting one of those wire planting containers on the wall instead. We have room for that. Gotta do something though because while not vegan in the least we do focus heavily on fresh fruits and veggies.

Stand looks good! My magazine rack, turned veggie bin , plus electrical outlet strip, plus cord and password boox box, has worked out great. We all just have to be mindful of what's in there. be careful about keeping apples near other veggies. They accelerate ripining. Great if that's what you want, but not if you are looking to keep things for a week or so.

Separating your bananas from the stem and storing them individually really makes them last, rather than being left in a bunch. Nice to see such beautiful fruit in a great stand. Also think you're dish drainer is perfect. Got a kick out of Baxter and the q-tip game in the mornings :) Liz

Hub and I are driving down for the RV show on Wednesday and will be there until Saturday. Any chance of getting together? We are still in the planning stages and are trying to meet those already full-timing. Let me know. sorarailinsc@yahoo.com